Elizabeth Searle
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Searle is an American novelist and short story writer. Her works have included the novel A Four Sided Bed and the short story collections My Body to You and Celebrities in Disgrace. Her new novel "Girl Held in Home" is forthcoming in October of 2011. She wrote the libretto
for Tonya and Nancy:The Opera which was produced in 2006. She also wrote the libretto for the expanded "Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera" which premiered in February of 2008. A new production was produced in Boston in 2011.
. Her father Bill is a Democratic Party activist and retired personnel director; Barbara, her mother, is a children's librarian. She has a younger sister, Kate, who works at MIT and Bill, her older brother, is a videographer.
Searle received a B.A.
from Oberlin College
and her Master's degree
from Brown University
. She was a special education teacher and taught students with autism
in schools located in New Haven, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island.
. This was followed by stories placed in the South Carolina Review, the Indiana Review
, The Greensboro Review
, the Kenyon Review, Ploughshares
and other journals. In 1993 her first book, My Body To You, was published. In 1992, it had been named winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award by the Iowa Writers Workshop. James Salter
, a novelist and screenwriter, who wrote The Hunters
, Downhill Racer
, The Appointment
and others, acted as judge.
A Four Sided Bed, Searle's first novel, was published by Graywolf Press
in 1998 and received positive reviews from Kirkus and Booklist
.
A novella and collection of short stories entitled Celebrities in Disgrace was published in 2001. When discussing one of the themes of this collection during an interview with Post Road Magazine
, Searle said, "I had a phrase in my mind, 'the witch of ambition,' and I do think there is this sort of dark force inside of people and any of those dark forces are hard to write about but they're the ones you want to write about...." Ambition and the search for attention seem to be the "...driving forces of our time."
"Celebrities in Disgrace," the title novella, was called a 'miniature masterpiece' by New York Times Book Review.
Tonya and Nancy:The Opera previewed at the Zero Arrow Theatre of the American Repertory Theatre
in 2006, produced by Tufts Music. It was selected by Opera Vista as one of the three best new one-act operas of the year in 2007. In 2010, it was performed by Mixed Precipitation in a new production in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
'Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera', a full length musical, premiered in 2008, produced by Triangle Productions. It featured libretto by Searle and music by Michael Teoli. The show was reviewed as "brilliant and touching" in Portland Mercury and received widespread media attention described in The Oregonian
. It premiered in a new version in January of 2011, produced by Harborside Films and performed at the American Repertory Theater's Oberon Theater.
Searle has taught creative writing at Brown University
, Emerson College
, the University of Southern Maine
's Program in Creative Writing
, Rutgers University
, the University of Massachusett Boston and other institutions. She has been a member, officer and committee chairperson of the New England chapter of International PEN
. In 1984, Searle married software developer John Hodgkinson; they have a son, Will and reside in Arlington, Massachusetts
.
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for Tonya and Nancy:The Opera which was produced in 2006. She also wrote the libretto for the expanded "Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera" which premiered in February of 2008. A new production was produced in Boston in 2011.
Early life
Searle was born in Penn Wynne, PennsylvaniaPenn Wynne, Pennsylvania
Penn Wynne is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Lower Merion Township, and the mailing address is Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. The population was 5,697 at the 2010 census. It is mainly a residential area...
. Her father Bill is a Democratic Party activist and retired personnel director; Barbara, her mother, is a children's librarian. She has a younger sister, Kate, who works at MIT and Bill, her older brother, is a videographer.
Searle received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and her Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. She was a special education teacher and taught students with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
in schools located in New Haven, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island.
Later life and works
In 1982, Searle's short story, "Missing LaDonna", appeared in RedbookRedbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
. This was followed by stories placed in the South Carolina Review, the Indiana Review
Indiana Review
Indiana Review ' is a small, student-run literary magazine at Indiana University. Founded in 1976, it has a circulation of about 2,000.A biannual review, IR publishes essays, fiction, graphic arts, interviews, poetry, and reviews...
, The Greensboro Review
The Greensboro Review
The Greensboro Review is a literary magazine, based at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina. It publishes fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction on a quarterly basis. Work from the journal is featured in such anthologies as New Stories from the South, the...
, the Kenyon Review, Ploughshares
Ploughshares
Ploughshares is an American literary magazine founded in 1971 by DeWitt Henry and Peter O'Malley in The Plough and Stars, an Irish pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since 1989, Ploughshares has been based at Emerson College in the heart of Boston...
and other journals. In 1993 her first book, My Body To You, was published. In 1992, it had been named winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award by the Iowa Writers Workshop. James Salter
James Salter
James Salter is an American novelist and short-story writer. Once a career officer and pilot in the United States Air Force, he abandoned the military profession in 1957 after successful publication of his first novel, The Hunters.After a brief career at film writing and film directing, Salter...
, a novelist and screenwriter, who wrote The Hunters
The Hunters (novel)
The Hunters is James Salter's debut novel about USAF fighter pilots during the Korean War, first published in 1956. The novel was the basis for a 1958 film by the same name starring Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner with a very different storyline....
, Downhill Racer
Downhill Racer
Downhill Racer is a 1969 film and the first to be directed by Michael Ritchie. A drama about ski racing, it stars Robert Redford and Gene Hackman.Tagline: How fast must a man go to get from where he's at?-Plot:...
, The Appointment
The Appointment
The Appointment is a 1969 psychological drama from director Sidney Lumet and writer James Salter, based on the story by Antonio Leonviola.-Plot synopsis:...
and others, acted as judge.
A Four Sided Bed, Searle's first novel, was published by Graywolf Press
Graywolf Press
Graywolf Press is an independent, non-profit publisher located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded on a dedication to the creation and promotion of thoughtful and imaginative contemporary literature essential to a vital and diverse culture, Graywolf Press publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.Now...
in 1998 and received positive reviews from Kirkus and Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
.
A novella and collection of short stories entitled Celebrities in Disgrace was published in 2001. When discussing one of the themes of this collection during an interview with Post Road Magazine
Post Road (magazine)
Post Road is an American literary magazine founded in 1999 that publishes fiction, nonfiction, criticism, poetry, art, and theatre. In addition to these traditional genres, the magazine also features a "Recommendations" section in which established writers suggest their favorite work and an...
, Searle said, "I had a phrase in my mind, 'the witch of ambition,' and I do think there is this sort of dark force inside of people and any of those dark forces are hard to write about but they're the ones you want to write about...." Ambition and the search for attention seem to be the "...driving forces of our time."
"Celebrities in Disgrace," the title novella, was called a 'miniature masterpiece' by New York Times Book Review.
Tonya and Nancy:The Opera previewed at the Zero Arrow Theatre of the American Repertory Theatre
American Repertory Theatre
The American Repertory Theater is a professional not-for-profit theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to neglected works of the past; and to established classical texts...
in 2006, produced by Tufts Music. It was selected by Opera Vista as one of the three best new one-act operas of the year in 2007. In 2010, it was performed by Mixed Precipitation in a new production in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
'Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera', a full length musical, premiered in 2008, produced by Triangle Productions. It featured libretto by Searle and music by Michael Teoli. The show was reviewed as "brilliant and touching" in Portland Mercury and received widespread media attention described in The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
. It premiered in a new version in January of 2011, produced by Harborside Films and performed at the American Repertory Theater's Oberon Theater.
Searle has taught creative writing at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
, the University of Southern Maine
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine is a multi-campus public urban comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston...
's Program in Creative Writing
Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing
The Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing is a graduate program in creative writing based at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine. It enrolls approximately 100 students in four major genres: creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and popular fiction...
, Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, the University of Massachusett Boston and other institutions. She has been a member, officer and committee chairperson of the New England chapter of International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
. In 1984, Searle married software developer John Hodgkinson; they have a son, Will and reside in Arlington, Massachusetts
Arlington, Massachusetts
Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles northwest of Boston. The population was 42,844 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.
As contributor or editor
- Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes (2007)
- The Darfur Anthology (2007)
- Now Write!:Fiction Writing Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers (2006)
- Out of the Blue Writers Unite (2004)
- The Iowa Award: The Best Stories, 1991-2000 (2001)
- American Fiction, Volume Seven: The Best Unpublished Short Stories by Emerging Writers (1995)
- Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: Stories by Women (1994)
- The Time of Our Lives: Women Write on Sex After 40 (1993)
External links
- Work
- "Why We're Here", Ploughshares (1996-1997)http://www.pshares.org/issues/article.cfm?prmArticleID=4167
- "White Eggplant", Ploughshares (1991)http://www.pshares.org/issues/article.cfm?prmArticleID=3132
- Interviews
- Reviews
- Review of Celebrities in Disgrace, New York Times Book Review (2001) http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06EEDA143CF931A2575BC0A9679C8B63&scp=5&sq=elizabeth%20searle&st=cse
- Review of A Four-Sided Bed, Standards Magazine, University of Colorado (1998)http://www.colorado.edu/journals/standards/V6N2Pride/REVIEWS/searle.html
- Review of A Four-Sided Bed, New York Times Book Review (1998) http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E6DB133EF933A25756C0A96E958260&fta=y&scp=4&sq=elizabeth%20searle&st=cse
- Review A Four-Sided Bed, Ploughshares (1998)http://www.pshares.org/issues/article.cfm?prmArticleID=4468
- Review of My Body To You, Ploughshares (1993)http://www.pshares.org/issues/article.cfm?prmArticleID=3533
- Miscellaneous
- Audio File, Elizabeth Searle reading from Celebrities in Disgrace http://www.usm.maine.edu/stonecoastmfa/faculty/elizabthsearle.mp3
- Elizabeth Searle web site http://www.elizabethsearle.net/